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Conewago Twp. officials mull fix for High Street crashes

Police chief David Williams believes bald tires could be a factor

By Melody Asper

For The Evening Sun asper@embarqmail.com

Posted:
11/23/2013 04:54:26 PM EST

It seems that every time it rains, yet another vehicle runs off the road on Conewago Township's High Street just south of Eisenhower Drive, said police chief David Williams, and officials are trying to determine the reason.

At the recent supervisors meeting, Williams said that within the last month there have been at least three reported crashes at a bend in the road about 200 feet north of Radio Road and, by the looks of the curb, several more near crashes that have gone unreported.

"Within the last couple weeks, we have seen evidence that there have been at least six vehicles which went overboard on the curb," said Williams. "Three vehicles hit the blood bank (building) on three separate occasions, but it's obvious several others did not report their accidents."

Almost all of the crashes have happened as vehicles are traveling north on High Street toward Eisenhower, said Williams.

Earlier this month, supervisors had directed township engineer Eric Mains to review the crash reports and examine the road surface to determine if anything could be done to make the area safer.

At the meeting, Mains reported that the wearing of the road surface seemed to be normal but could possibly be improved to make it more skid resistant.

"The stone in the road could be more prone to polishing," Mains said. "There are resurfacing techniques that could be implemented to give it a higher (skid-resistance level)."

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In order to obtain a higher skid-resistance level, the road would have to be micro-milled and have the surfaced roughened, but that would be costly and could also lead to a quicker deterioration of the surface, Mains said.

Other alternatives that could help solve the problem, he said, would be to "calm" traffic speeds by lowering the speed limit from its current 35 mph to 25 mph; or by posting more signage to slow vehicles.

The latter suggestion could work, said the supervisors, as currently there is only one sign on the road saying "Stop Ahead," so adding signs saying "Curve Ahead" or "Slippery when wet" could possibly help.

However, Williams countered that just adding signs may not be beneficial as the people who are having the crashes are locals who should already be aware of the lay of the road.

"If you look at the accident reports, it's people who go through there every day," said Williams. "They already know there is a curve there and they are still running off the road."

The supervisors said another option would be to install a "speed table" which is similar to a speed bump, but is five to six feet across so as to slow cars without causing drivers to lose control.

Board chairman Robert Legore said he has encountered speed tables in York and they seem to work well.

"They calm you down pretty quick," said Legore.

Supervisor Ted Bortner questioned if the township should be spending tax dollars on installing the speed tables, or on a speed study that would be required to lower the speed limit.

"How much money should the township spend to resurface or fix up a road that's perfectly safe when you are going the posted speed?" asked Bortner. "If you have a rainy day and a wet road, you should realize that you have to go slower around a corner. And if you travel that road every day, you should know there is a curve there."

The supervisors directed Mains to find out if traffic studies had already been done for that section of road, which would allow the township to reduce the speed limit without funding a new study.

Contacted by phone later, Williams said he believes the majority of the accidents at the site could be the result of something no one even considered -- the current bad economy.

"People don't have a lot of money, and a lot of people are driving on some really shaky tires that don't grip the road any more," he said. "If they had better tires, or a new set of tires, they should be able get around the corner at the currently posted speed easily -- even when it is wet."

Williams said he personally tested his theory by driving through the area when the road was wet at different speeds, including exceeding the speed limit, and never lost control of his vehicle.

"It's something that people should consider," he said. "People are using their tires until they are ready to fall apart and that is false economy. Its better to be safe than sorry."